Premiering on Global and ABC in 2014 as 15 Division Braces for More Change: Two New Members!

TORONTO, January 22, 2014 – Principal photography has begun on the fifth season of Global’s hit Canadian original series Rookie Blue. Hot on the heels of garnering nine Canadian Screen Awards nominations, Rookie Blue is currently filming in Toronto. The new season begins where the dramatic Season 4 finale left off, with two lives hanging in the balance.

“With four hugely successful seasons and counting, Rookie Blue is an incredible force in the Canadian television industry, and is one of television’s most anticipated series returns of 2014,” said Barbara Williams, SVP, Content, Shaw Media. “The rollercoaster season finale opened the floodgates for an explosive new season that propels our beloved rookies into unchartered territory. Alongside our incredibly talented production company and star-studded ensemble cast, we can’t wait to bring blue back with a bang this spring.”

The chilling Season 4 finale saw Sam Swarek and Chloe Price shot in the line of duty and in critical care at Memorial Hospital. But life at 15 Division must go on – the officers have sworn an oath to serve and protect no matter the timing or consequences. As the shell-shocked officers of 15 Division struggle to put the pieces of their lives back together – and as Andy and Sam work to find their way back to each other – Andy is tasked with training a challenging new rookie under the watchful eye of a tough new Inspector. And while the officers will have to learn that life doesn’t always have a fairy-tale ending that certainly doesn't mean there's no happily ever after.

In keeping with last season’s theme of ‘change’, 15 Division welcomes two new characters who shake up the familiar dynamic. Inspector John Jarvis (Oliver Becker, Rent-A-Goalie) strolls into 15 Division with a serious agenda. He wants the real story: is this a division full of heroes or a minefield full of screw-ups? Seamlessly flipping from pleasant to menacing, Inspector Jarvis is a political spin-master of epic proportions. He’s out to shake things up and make his mark. Also new to the team is 15 Division’s brand-new rookie, Duncan Moore aka “Selfie” (Matt Murray, Degrassi: The Next Generation). He is the very picture of a fresh-faced millennial: confident, eager to impress, and excellent at pointing out mistakes, particularly other people’s. But when Duncan struggles to fit into the group at 15, the officers soon have their hands full with this challenging and well-connected new recruit.

"We are all so excited to get started on Season 5,” said Tassie Cameron, Executive Producer and Showrunner. “We get to pick up where we left off – gunshots, drama, mayhem, love – and we also get to launch a bunch of exciting new storylines and characters that will change everything, for everyone. It’s so great to work on this show, with these incredible actors and the chemistry they’ve created together – and to be heading into a fifth season together makes us all very joyful and very proud.”

Rookie Blue is executive produced by award-winning Tassie Cameron (Flashpoint), Russ Cochrane (The Listener), Ilana Frank (The Eleventh Hour, Would Be Kings), David Wellington (The Eleventh Hour, Would Be Kings) and John Morayniss (Klondike, Haven). Rookie Blue is a production of IFC Films and leading indie studio eOne, who also distributes the series internationally.

Stop feeling blue, Rookie fans! Season 5 is now officially on its way, courtesy of Global.

In a release sent out Wednesday, Global announced that Rookie Blue has officially begun production in Toronto. And what’s more, the team behind the show, which also airs on America’s ABC, promises that Season 5 builds off the last season finale, which left “two lives” — including one half of McSwarek! — “hanging in the balance.”

“We get to pick up where we left off — gunshots, drama, mayhem, love — and we also get to launch a bunch of exciting new storylines and characters that will change everything, for everyone,” Rookie’s executive producer and showrunner Tassie Cameron promised in statement.

Barbara Williams, Shaw Media’s senior vice-president of content added, “The rollercoaster season finale opened the floodgates for an explosive new season that propels our beloved rookies into unchartered territory.”

Although there is no official start date for Season 5, Williams noted viewers should expect new episodes later this spring. Two new characters will be introduced to the 15 Division fold this year, including Oliver Becker’s (Rent-A-Goalie) John Jarvis, a new inspector with “a serious agenda” who tasks Andy (Missy Peregrym) with training a new rookie named Duncan (Matt Murray, Degrassi: The Next Generation). Expect some interesting tension between Andy and Duncan, as the “fresh-faced millennial” is apparently a pro at “pointing out mistakes, particularly other people’s.”

In addition to the return of Peregrym, expect to see more of recurring cast members Gregory Smith, Travis Milne, Enuka Okuma, Charlotte Sullivan, Peter Mooney, Priscilla Faia, Matt Gordon, Rachel Ancheril, Melanie Nicholls-King, Adam MacDonald and Aliyah O’Brien. While the press release mentions Ben Bass’s character Sam, saying that we will see “Andy and Sam work to find their way back to each other,” Bass is not mentioned in the cast listing for the year. (UPDATE: Before you McSwarek fans freak out, Global has confirmed that Bass will indeed be back next year. They could not confirm the status of Lyriq Bent as Frank, however.)

No matter what happens between Andy, Sam and the rest of 15 Division, from the sounds of it, the Rookie crew is just happy to be on set again.

“It’s so great to work on this show, with these incredible actors and the chemistry they’ve created together,” Cameron said in her statement. “To be heading into a fifth season together makes us all very joyful and very proud.”

Where do you think we’ll find Sam and Andy at the start of Season 5? Are you team McSwarek or McCollins? Sound off below.